afterquake

noun

af·​ter·​quake ˈaf-tər-ˌkwāk 

plural afterquakes

: a minor shock following the main shock of an earthquake : aftershock

Within one year there were more than 10,000 afterquakes, with most of the epicenters in the vicinity of Sun-Moon Lake.

—Engelbert Altenburger, Focus on Geography, Winter 2004

Word History

Etymology

after- + (earth)quake

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

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